Carwash owner sentenced in sting operation

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The undercover agent claimed he was a restaurateur wanting to invest in the owner's carwash.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — According to a report from KOAT.com, citing prosecutors, an Albuquerque carwash owner accepted cash, which was presented as drug money, that was given to him by an undercover agent.

From late 2011 to early 2012, continued the article, the agent’s sting involved claiming that he was a restaurateur wanting to invest in owner Jerome Eckstein’s carwash.

“He pops the trunk of his car and pulls out a bag with cash and said, ‘I just went to the bank and there’s a bag of cash,’” said Julie Eckstein, who noted Eckstein gave her husband $50,000 in cash.

Eckstein, 39, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, added the article.